


once upon a dream

by havisham



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, M/M, True Love's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-03
Updated: 2015-01-03
Packaged: 2018-03-05 05:38:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3108110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/havisham/pseuds/havisham
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The only way to revive the Winter Soldier is with true love's kiss. </p><p>(For some reason, everyone's looking at Steve.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	once upon a dream

"I mean, are you _sure_?" Steve paused and bit his lip. "Bucky's kissed a lot of girls over the years. Any of them could have been his true love." 

"I'm just reading the prophecy here," Natasha said in a bored voice, closing heavy book with a bang. Everyone (except Steve, and Tony in his armor) coughed. "It says whoever is under this particular ice-enchantment can only be woken by true love's first kiss. Listen to me, I'm your gods-damned mage." 

"Do we even want to wake this guy up?" Clint asked, adjusting his quiver. "Last time he was up and at 'em, he kind of kicked all our asses. Especially yours, Steve." 

"I know that," Steve said. He took a breath. Then two. "But he's my friend and I've got try." 

* 

Steve leaned down and gave Bucky a small peck on the cheek. 

Nothing happened. 

"Come on," Tony's voice was tinny from inside his massive suit of armor. "I've seen better moves on my dead granny." 

Bruce growled and the ground around them shook. 

* 

The next time was better. Steve could have sworn he saw one of Bucky's eyelids flicker. 

But then again, maybe not. 

* 

"... Is this technically necrophilia?" Sam asked, after a long silence. His wings twitched and he looked like he wanted to take to the sky. 

"No, he's _technically_ alive. But it is getting creepy. Third's time the charm, Steve," Natasha said. 

Steve looked down at Bucky and whispered, "Come on, buddy." 

He leaned down and placed a tender kiss on Bucky's lips. He started to get up, but before he could say anything, Bucky's metal arm shot up and grabbed him by the throat. In the midst of the chaos that now ensued, Steve lay on the ground for a few seconds, stunned. 

It had _worked._

He sprang up, right on time to almost get hit by a flying Tony. His shield was where he had dropped it, and Steve went barreling into the fray, until there was only him and Bucky. Like in the old days, even though in the old days, Bucky had never tried to pummel him to death. Their friendship had consisted of verbal barbs only. But this was a new age, as everyone liked to tell Steve. 

Steve managed to say, his voice was ragged, "Bucky! Do you remember me?" 

Bucky stopped dead and his eyes widened in horror. 

"Do you remember _everything_?" Steve persisted. 

Bucky didn't say, but he did turn tail and ran into the woods. Steve let him go for now -- the Avengers, all collectively groaning and glaring at him, needed to regroup. 

But still... _Still_. Steve didn't know if he actually believed this true love guff -- he had loved Peggy, truly enough -- but maybe there was something to it. Certainly, Bucky truly needed him, and Steve did truly love him. 

He needed to find Bucky, anyway. 

True love or not.


End file.
